Oh my lamb!!! You have done a great job, Santi, with your gardens I love it all. The space is beautiful. Is the precious plant in the 6th & 7th photos from the bottom up a type of Gaura maybe? Its awesome. I love your Geraniums. What's your secret to growing them? I can't. I think because it gets so humid here in south MS. I have a pale/clear pink one that I bought in a mixed basket this spring that I put in a half whiskey barrel and just about lost during the hottest part of the summer. I cut it back hard and it's looking better and getting new blooms since it's cooled off...just in time to freeze and be lost. I may dig and pot it up and put it in the garage for winter. Thanks for sharing, Leslie

There are a few things to look at. The first one, I agree, is light. Look for shade loving plants like hosta, impatiens, heuchera. You can do a google search for shade perennials, annuals, even small shrubs. The next thing is the drainage. Even if you use a lightweight potting soil, which is generally recommended for containers (not garden soil or topsoil), it must have good drainage. Do the pots drain well and then make sure the water does not sit in saucers below it for a long time. On the other hand, if the water drains out quickly and the soil dries out, this is not good either. Some folks use the potting soil with moisture retentive crystals in there. Also some compost added to the container will help retain some moisture. You should be checking the moisture content daily if you can. Use you finger or a moisture meter. The next thing is fertilizer or feeding. Plants in containers need this. I like organic but there are synthetic slow release granules or liquids; but DO NOT over fertilize. If your plants are dying within one month, I don't think it's a LACK of nutrients, but maybe over fertilizing which can "burn" a plant. What I suggest is to make sure the soil is pretty light and fluffy, add some compost (you can buy it), maybe 1/4 of what's in the container. Check the drainage before you plant something new. Get some organic fertilizers and follow instructions carefully, don't overdo it. Maybe get a cheap book on organic gardening in containers or balcony gardening or something like that. I think you will be successful! laurie

Well, if you could take a "slight" detour of only 642.62 miles; you could come to North Dakota and see Harry! He is a "must see," and we'd love to have you visit.

It just seems more efficient, both in time, money, and wear and tear on our bodies to rent a smaller uhaul to take what we'll need for 6 months to the country, and let movers come in and take everything else to climate controlled storage. ^^^^ THIS! I'd get a working dishwasher installed, have a plumber install a laundry hookup, and move the bare essentials, remembering that construction will probably take longer than planned ... bring your warm clothes. He thinks we can just make multple trips using my SUV, his truck and atv trailer, and I think not. Been there, done that and it SUCKED! We did it of necessity, and because we had a longer timeline for the move, but if I were in your position I would pack for the construction period and have the rest stay in storage. And be sure to PURGE during this time ... nothing goes to storage that doesn't have a future in your new house. Make charities HAPPY.